San Diego’s Ballast Point sets opening date for Disney brewpub

San Diego-based brewer Ballast Point is just about ready to turn Disneyland into the Hoppiest Place on Earth.

The Ballast Point Brewpub at the Downtown Disney outdoor shopping mall in Anaheim officially opens Jan. 16, officials announced Wednesday.

The new Anaheim eatery marks the first brewpub at Downtown Disney and Ballast Point’s first location in Orange County.

The Disney brewpub will feature a 4,000-square-foot brewery, kitchen and tasting room as well as a 3,000-square-foot outdoor beer garden.

With more than 50 styles of beers in its portfolio, Ballast Point’s on-site three-barrel brewing system at Downtown Disney will serve as a testing ground for new beers.

The Southern California-inspired menu will include salads, small plates, flatbreads and entrees. Ballast Point chefs will be whipping up popular dishes like Baja-style fish tacos as well as menu items exclusive to the Downtown Disney restaurant. And since it’s Disney, the new location will have a kids’ menu.

Started in 1996 by a group of San Diego homebrewers, Ballast Point has grown to become one of the nation’s largest craft brewers. Its best-known beers include Grapefruit Sculpin IPA, Fathom IPA and Victory at Sea imperial porter.

The Disney brewpub is the brewer’s ninth tasting room, with locations in San Diego, Long Beach, Virginia and Chicago.

Brady MacDonald is a freelance writer based in Orange County who has written about theme parks for the past decade.